john compono Posted May 19, 2023 Share Posted May 19, 2023 (edited) just purchased a 55 Buick century 2 dr hardtop recently. the car runs and drives nice but everytime I go over a little rough road or a bump or dip the car seems to idk go back and forth with a little shake to it. is there a way to firm up the suspension some how ? I just put new knee shocks and shock links in the rear but maybe tighten front end also ? any suggestions guys to firm the ride up a little ? any suggestions you Buick guys ? thanks. Edited May 20, 2023 by MrEarl (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted May 19, 2023 Share Posted May 19, 2023 click: HEAVIER SWAY BAR, New front shocks, polyurethane panhard bar bushings, heavier springs... check suspension components for wear of course. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john compono Posted May 19, 2023 Author Share Posted May 19, 2023 thanks old tank I just ordered the heavier sway bar from brads bars. one thing though. you say heavier springs. they make a heavier spring than the ones that are on it now ? how's jamco ? would they have heavier springs ? thanks for your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted May 19, 2023 Share Posted May 19, 2023 Did mine !! Don't lower the car!! The one thing that I did that made the most difference at the end was to install polyurethane panhard bar bushings and quality radial tires like toyo. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john compono Posted May 19, 2023 Author Share Posted May 19, 2023 no I wasn't going to lower the car but having a hard time finding the polyurethane bar bushings for front and back. still looking. tried bob's automobile, cars inc. no luck just the rubber. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted May 19, 2023 Share Posted May 19, 2023 Discussion HERE Call to order... 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAD36 Posted May 20, 2023 Share Posted May 20, 2023 How’s the fluid level in the rear shocks look and any insight as to what fluid is in there? Use hydraulic Jack oil if you’re refilling. Check the rear shock links. Old Tank mentioned a good source for new improved rear links - think it’s bobs automobilia? My preference is stock soft springs but the improved sway bar, HD gas shocks up front, and radials made a night-day difference in my cars ride and control on corners or broken pavement. Panhard bushings next - one of these days. Have fun congrats on the new ride. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john compono Posted May 20, 2023 Author Share Posted May 20, 2023 thanks kad36. I just put new rear knee shocks In and shock links and did use the hydraulic jack oil and just ordered a heavier sway bar that old tank mentioned to me. next thing also will be finding panhard polyurathane bushings that old tank also mentioned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billbuickgs Posted May 20, 2023 Share Posted May 20, 2023 Any pictures of your Century ? Heres my patina looking 55 Century Clone , only original once LOL 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD1956 Posted May 20, 2023 Share Posted May 20, 2023 Someone on Facebook just mentioned that there was a rear anti-swaybar in 1941. Even had a picture of it. Claimed it would fit newer Buicks. It mounted towards the front of the rear axle in the picture and to be honest, i did not see how it could work with the torque tube. I have not been able to find that post again though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted May 20, 2023 Share Posted May 20, 2023 (edited) On 5/19/2023 at 1:26 PM, john compono said: but everytime I go over a little rough road or a bump or dip the car seems to idk go back and forth with a little shake to it. i 68 years old and designed when the interstate highway system was being planned for 85-100 MPH travel. There is a lot of stuff in that car that has pretty much aged out. The closer you look the more shot parts you will find. Something like 8 rubber body and core support mounts on each side. The bolt stays the same length and the rubber can easily get crushed down 2". I have a couple sitting on my bench right now. It is not unreasonable to think the body has around a couple of inches to wiggle, shake, and bounce around at will. Sometimes you can even hear them scrape on the frame in a hard turn. Keep your focus on things that deteriorate over time. Back in 1955 the buyer stepped up past a lot of cars to get the nice ride of that Buick. My son was lying by the side of the road to get this picture of me flying low at 60 on a dirt road. Sure there was some risk but the car was doing fine. Edited May 20, 2023 by 60FlatTop (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted May 20, 2023 Share Posted May 20, 2023 I was out in the garage this afternoon and knew right where to find one of the '64 Riviera body mounts I replaced in the early 1990s. The car was 30 years old at the time. I had owned it about 13 or 14 and it had a very easy life. The previous owner was a car dealer and it had been his personal car for four or five years. I think it had kind of a rough life in Florida prior to that and ended up here in New York with divorce damage and baggage. At 30 years old here is #3 body mount from directly above the rear axle at the frame kick up. All cushion has collapsed and the alignment sleeve in the center was in contact with both the body and frame. New ones were twice as thick. This is the kind of thing that gets overlooked (like flushing the rear end lube) and kicks off the journey to modifications. There are no facets of the aged car that are too small to overlook. I have replaced body mounts on at least three cars. Door weatherstrips, even lacking rubber hood bumpers can make a car feel like a rattle trap going down the road. I had a 1970 Caddy Fleetwood that had a thundering hood when I hit tar strips. It was like Hollywood sound effects. It turned out to be too much negative camber from someone monkeying with the springs and the mechanic didn't know the car had a odd camber adjustment. An inexperienced person might look at your king pins and think they are foreign, sure ain't like the everyday car. And a needed repair would go unattended. I remember buying a few cars with match books or folded cardboard stuck between dash pieces. I don't recall fixing a dash panel. The vibrations came from a shudder, jiggle, or vibration from some innocuous broken part. I have always driven Buicks, usually faster than I should and as Jack would say, with vigor, never thought much of modifying them. I might put on gas shocks and maybe polyurethane front sway bar bushings if the old one broke. That's about my limit. I would dig a little deeper into that '55. Start by verifying the body is really on the frame as it should. Then that little hint about flushing the juice in the rear end, so many do that after they replace the bearing. It's in the details. 2 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
195354 Posted May 21, 2023 Share Posted May 21, 2023 Great advice from everyone the bushings and shocks will make a difference the sway bar will most likely make a big difference. I am making a 53 RM a driver Replaced shocks all the way around and a few bushings in the rear made a big difference in drivability on this car. The 53 RM needs a bigger sway bar body roll is more than l want. ‘My biggest question tonight is how does Bernie find an item he removed years ago and l put down a box cutter and it’s lost for a week. Steve 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avgwarhawk Posted May 21, 2023 Share Posted May 21, 2023 A set of rear progressive coil springs makes a world of difference in handling. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted May 21, 2023 Share Posted May 21, 2023 7 hours ago, 195354 said: My biggest question tonight is how does Bernie find an item he removed years ago and l put down a box cutter and it’s lost for a week. Since my conception of the garage there has always been a dedicated location mapped out and things placed properly. 1 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john compono Posted May 21, 2023 Author Share Posted May 21, 2023 thanks a whole lot guys ! gonna do little by little with the bushings , shocks , coil springs sway bar etc ... will keep you all updated from all the help you guys offered me. especially looking into the body mounts. thanks again. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old-tank Posted May 21, 2023 Share Posted May 21, 2023 You noticed that we like to help you spend money. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john compono Posted May 21, 2023 Author Share Posted May 21, 2023 LOL ! old tank. there's that old saying when you want to get something done right YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR ! just want to keep these old classics rolling. thanks again guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmTee Posted May 22, 2023 Share Posted May 22, 2023 13 hours ago, old-tank said: You noticed that we like to help you spend money. Living vicariously through other people's wallets! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted May 23, 2023 Share Posted May 23, 2023 On 5/21/2023 at 5:56 PM, john compono said: YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR I look at that as "The most you are going to get is what you pay for". When you are lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caballero2 Posted May 23, 2023 Share Posted May 23, 2023 (edited) Be aware that this is a very rare model if the firewall tag confirms that it is a model 68. If so, the wheels and hub caps look correct. I would bet there is no horn ring; only a horn button. Even better if it has a standard transmission. Oh, and a bigger engine rounds it out. One thing you might check to see is maybe a heavier front sway bar. look for something around one inch in diameter. You might like the attached photo. Edited May 23, 2023 by Caballero2 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonomatic Posted May 27, 2023 Share Posted May 27, 2023 I have such a hard time understanding the '55 Chevy thing when Buick had these. But that seems to always be the case, Buick makes a few, they're gone, and then everyone finds out how great they were. Compound carbs on the straight eights, these '55 Centuries, the GS cars, dual quad 465's, the Grand National....why is this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NTX5467 Posted May 27, 2023 Share Posted May 27, 2023 When the 1955 Buicks were in production, Buick was about a soft, comfortable ride, nice interiors, spiffy exteriors, and a certain amount of off-idle torque. Plus the DynaFlow automatic. NOT about a low price (although GMAC helped Buick get to #3 in sales in 1955 with their 36 month car loans) or 6000rpm power. The soft suspension was not about higher-speed driving, which greater engine power would have helped happen. So leave the "street fights" to Chevrolet and Pontiac, as the Buick just cruised on by, in stately comfort and style. "Premium American Motorcars". At the same time, a correctly-optioned Buick cold be a good performer, too. No matter the decade. NTX5467 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beemon Posted May 27, 2023 Share Posted May 27, 2023 There was a company that had commissioned bilstein to make limited runs for 50s cars, our Buicks included. Can't help the folks with lever shocks, but you can get some really nice fonts. 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted May 28, 2023 Share Posted May 28, 2023 Hello, young man. Been awhile. Attending the Buick National in Spokane in July? Ben 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beemon Posted May 28, 2023 Share Posted May 28, 2023 2 hours ago, Ben Bruce aka First Born said: Hello, young man. Been awhile. Attending the Buick National in Spokane in July? Ben Hopefully 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted May 28, 2023 Share Posted May 28, 2023 Look for me Ben 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beemon Posted May 28, 2023 Share Posted May 28, 2023 Not to get too far off topic, but I hope to look for everyone who's coming 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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